Swallows End, Hennock

Swallows End is a ground-floor apartment at Hyner Bridge in the Teign Valley, on the eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park and a short drive from both Exeter and the south Devon coast. It is part of a small owner-occupied setup rather than a standalone let: the owners live on site, keep dogs of their own, and share an indoor heated pool and a sauna with the apartment.

Dogs are taken for a charge of thirty-five pounds for the stay, and dangerous breeds are excluded. No weight limit or cap on numbers is published, so a second dog is worth confirming before booking.

Only one review from a guest who actually brought a dog has been recorded so far, which is a thin base to judge on and worth saying plainly. That party travelled as a couple and reported their dog happily running about the guest garden, with the owner calling round to check they were settled. The enclosed courtyard and the ground-floor layout are the practical points in a dog's favour: no stairs to manage, and a door straight out.

The wider picture is more mixed, and dog owners should go in holding it. Guests have repeatedly described arriving to cobwebs, dust and grubby bathroom fittings against a welcome booklet that promises professional cleaning. The pool is shared with the owners and with anyone else staying on site rather than private to the apartment, and it has been out of use on arrival for at least one party, refilling only slowly across their week. The wood-fired hot tub takes hours to bring up to heat and is a job rather than a switch. Broadband is intermittent. Several guests have felt the price outruns what is delivered.

The resident dogs are the detail to weigh hardest, and guests have found them audible around the pool. Swallows End suits a sociable, settled dog and an owner content with shared water, a narrow lane approach and a rural pace. It is not the place for a dog that reacts to other dogs on home ground.